Field of Invention
The invention disclosed herein generally relates to methods and systems for initiating data communication. More specifically, the invention disclosed herein relates to methods and systems for communicating data to and with target remote mobile computing devices.
Description of Related Art
Mobile computing devices (MCDs) are becoming ubiquitous. From cell phones to personal digital assistants (PDAs) to tablet and laptop computers, to wearable and embedded MCDs, people fortunate enough to live in developed countries tend to have one or more MCD each. Many MCDs have multiple ways to communicate data, from radio transmissions, such as cellular, including LTE and LTE Advanced, more local networks such as Wi-Fi, Super Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and WiMAX2, and direct communication technologies such as Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), infrared, and other technologies.
In order to communicate data with an MCD, a requesting device, i.e. one that sends a request to communicate data, generally must know something about the target MCD. For example, a phone number is generally required to either call or sent a text, SMS, or MMS message. If the devices have a social relationship, for example their owners are friends, connections, share a circle, or have another such relationships on one or more social networks, and they allow each other to see their locations, the devices may be able to communicate data using that social relationship.
However, many MCDs, particularly MCDs that operate on various networks, transmit data via the network that allows the network to track their location over time. Such activities can create a large amount of location-based data, data that is generally searchable by, among other things, location.